Heavy duty soil sampler



June 11, 1957 w. L. ACKER, JR.. ETAL. 2,795,395

HEAVY DUTY SOIL SAMPLER Filed March 29, 1955 INVENTORS a fi m/1K ATTORNEY 5 nited States Patent' HEAVY DUTY SOIL SAMPLER William L. Acker, J12, Scranton, Pa., and Eugene J. Lynch, Woodside, N. Y

Application March 29, 1955, Serial No. 497,542

Claims. (Cl. 255-1.4)

Our invention is directed to improvements in soil samplers.

Split tube soil samplers have been used for years and comprise in general a main tubular body which is split longitudinally so as to provide two halves, a threadedly secured shoe with a cutting surface at the lower end, and a coupling head threadedly secured to the upper end. The main tube wall is relatively thin, and the wall at the upper and lower end is still thinner where it is threaded and coupled to the shoe and to the head. These samplers are driven into the ground with a heavy weight to recover earth samples and when retracted are disassembled so that the split tube may be separated longitudinally to leave the core sample intact. In repeatedly driving these core samplers into the ground and due to the abuse that they receive, the head section frequently opens up, mushrooms out over the upper end of'the split tube portion or splits up to the sides and fails completely. This is a common fault in sampler tubes of this type, and in spite of the shoe being in cutting contact at the leading end of the sampler, it outlasts the head. In actual practice about as many heads are used as sampler tubes, namely, the split tube making up the main body.

It is an object of our invention to provide an increased wall thickness at the upper end of the main body of the sampler tubeand to increase the wall thickness of the lower end of the headcoupled thereto in such proportion to the rest of the main body and the head that failure on repeated use does not take place.

Another object of the invention is to provide an increased wall thickness at the upper end of the main body of the split tube and to form thereon deep and coarse threads which cooperate with similar internally made threads in the lower end of the cooperating head such that the head section can be very rapidly screwed up, or unscrewed, as the case may be.

A still further object of the invention is to provide at the upper end of the split tube portion of the sampler tube a transverse shoulder adjacent the reduced threaded end such that the shoulder receives in abutting engagement the lower transverse end of the threaded heads Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific example is given by way of illustration only and, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, is not given by way of limitation, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention reference is had to the drawing in which:

' Fig. 1 is a side view of the core sampler;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along section line 22 of Fig. 4;

2,795,395 Patented June 11, 195' 7 ice of the main body of the core sampler along line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse enlarged sectional view of the upper end of the main body of the core sampler along line 4-4 of Fig. 1. 7

Throughout the description like reference numerals refer to similar parts. 7

The core sampler is made up of a tubular head 10, a longitudinally split tube 11 coupled at its upper end to the lower end of the head 10 and a shoe 12 coupled to the lower end of the split tube 11 and having a lower end 13 tapered to an annular cutting edge. In practice, the head is about one-quarter in length of the whole length of the split tube 11 from the extreme ends of its threaded ends. The split tube 11 is shown fore-shortened in the drawing here presented. 7

Split tube 11 as shown in Fig. 3 has a wall thickness which is about one-sixth of the outside diameter of the tube at that section. The split tube is formed in two parts 11 and 11" which are joined together longitudinally. Part 11 has a longitudinally extending groove 14 at each side which is generally L-shaped in cross-section or in the form of a tenon. Split tube portion 11" is formed with a tongue 16 of like configuration to groove 14 and is received therein, and this tongue at its inner portion joins with a transverse longitudinal flat face portion 17 which abuts transverse portion 15 on split tube portion 11' so as to form a tight cooperating joint. This same joint is carried throughout the length of the split tube 11 and is also shown in transverse cross-sectionin Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section view on an enlarged scale 7 The lower end of split tube 11 has a reduced cylindrical portion 18 which is threaded throughout its length as'at 19 and is received within the interior threaded upper end of shoe or bit 12 as indicated at 20. The lower or bottom end of the shoe or hit 12 tapers inwardly on its outer surface as indicated at 20'so that it forms a leading or bottom cutting edge 13. The inner wall of bit 12 tapers inwardly a small amount so that a slight restriction is formed in the throat of the bit 12 to help hold the soil sample in the tube when it is withdrawn from the soil.

Now referring to the upper end of the split tube 11, it will be observed that the upper portion as indicated throughthe length a is approximately one-fourth the whole length of the tube 11 and has an increased thickness in its annular wall 21 thereby forming a reduced size of longitudinal central aperture 22 therethrough whose inner cylindrical wall increases in cross-sectional diameter through the longitudinal length indicated at b to form a wall 23 having a frustrum of a cone shape which joins with the cylindrical inner wall 24 of the main body of the split tube 11. The upper end 25 of split tube 11 has a reduced wall thickness which is about onehalf the thickness of the wall portion 21 and is provided with coarse, square threads of about three per inch as indicated at 26. Between the reduced threaded portion 25 at the upper end of split tube 11 and the increased wall thickness portion 21, there is a transversely extending flange portion 27 which has abutting engagement with the lower end of the head 10.

Head 10 is formed with an axially extending aperture therethrough with the upper end internally threaded at 28 for about one-third the length of the head. Internally of this upper threaded end 28 is a reduced cylindrical axially extending aperture portion 29 whose lower end converges at 30 to the reduced axial cylindrical portion 31 and forms therebetween a seat portion 32 against which the ball valve 33 may rest and seal off the axial passage through the head. Ball 33 freely moves within the cylindrical portion 29 within the head 10 and is held therein by a transversely extending rivet 34 passing through the walls of head at the upper portion of cylindrical cavity 29. Vent holes 35 are provided through the wall of the head at the upper end of internal cylindrical portion 29. Thus, the sampler is thrust into the soil with end 12 down, any pressure built up in tube 24 raises ball valve 33 and the pressure ,is released through the vent holes 35. The lower end of head '10 has a wall thickness as indicated at 36 which is of a thickness equal to about the thickness of the reduced threaded upper end of split tube 11. This lower end has an internally threaded portion 37 which receives the threaded upper end 26 of the split tubes while the lower end has a transverse face as at 38 whichhas abutting engagement with the shoulder 27 on the split tube 11. The longitudinal length of the threaded recess 37 is slightly greater than the length of the reduced threaded end 26 so that a slight gap is left as indicated at c between the extreme end of the split tube 11 and the bottom of the threaded recess 37 and the lower end of head 10. This gap thus permits the coarse, square threads and the abutting shoulder 27 with the transverse end 38 on head 10 to take up the thrust when the sampler is driven into the ground. The internally threaded upper end 28 of head 10 receives a section of coupling rod in the customary manner.

By this construction a rugged and heavy duty core sampler is provided. The thickened wall upper end of split tube 11 as indicated through the length a is so proportioned that the threaded upper neck 25 and the trans verse shoulder 27 serve as seats for receiving the lower end of head 10. Any thrust against the head 10 as imparted by the drive weights acting on extension rods (not shown) coupled to the upper end of head 10 is received by the square threads 26 and the transverse shoulder 27 on split tube 11. Shoulder 27 is annular and is nearly one quarter the diameter of the split tube 11 in width and forms a rugged base against which the lower face 38 of like size on head 10 seats. The large threads on the coupling between head 10 and split tube 11 as indicated at 26 and 37 serve not only to take up some of the thrust along with the shoulder 27 but also permits quick coupling and uncoupling.

Heavy duty core samplers made according to our invention have proved to be unfailing and the heretofore mushrooming of the heads down over the upper end of the split tube as well as the fracture of the wall of the head as by splitting lengthwise has now been entirely avoided.

In operation the sampler 11 is coupled to a drive rod at its screw socket end 28 and is then driven into the soil. filled. As the soil enters the bit 12, should any pressure build up, the ball valve 33 is raised from its seat and the pressure passes off through passage 31by seat 30 and ball valve 33 on out the vent holes 35. The tapered restriction in the throat of bit 12 helps hold in the sample in tube 24. The ball check valve 33 seals ott the top of the sampler and as the tube is raised the sample is retained within the tube 24.

We claim as our invention:

1. A tubular driven soil sampler comprising a tubular head having an aperture extending axially therethrough, a longitudinally split barrel detachably coupled at its upper end to said head, a tubular bit detachably coupled to the lower end of said barrel, said bit tapering to an annular cutting edge at its lower end and having its inner wall tapering a small amount inward toward the lower end thereby forming a slight restriction in its throat at its lower end, said head being shorter than said split barrel and formed with a threaded recess at its upper and lower ends,.said threaded recesses having walls whose thickness is approximately equal to one-quarter the diameter of the head, the lower end of said head being threadedly connected to the upper end of said split barrel and having a transversely extending face at its lower end, said split barrel having its'upper end formed with an increased The bit 12 cuts as at 13 a sample andtube 24 is wall thickness and a reduced threaded upper end portion threadedly received in the threaded lower end of said head, said reduced threaded upper end of the barrel having a wall thickness approximately equal to the surrounding wall thickness of the head, the upper end of said barrel adjacent said reduced threaded end having a wall thickness approximately equal to one-third the diameter of the barrel at its greatest diameter and extending lengthwise of the barrel for a distance approximately equal to the length of the reduced upper end thereof, and terminating in a forward transverse shoulder having abutting engagement with the lower end of said head, whereby on coupling to the upper end of said head and driving said sampler, the lower end of said head has a thrust engagement with the shoulder formed on the upper end of the split barrel and remains in engagement therewith without splitting up the side of the head or mushrooming out over the split barrel upper end on repeatedly being driven into the ground.

2. A tubular driven soil sampler, comprising a tubular head having an aperture extending axially therethrough, a longitudinally split barrel detachably coupled at its upper end to said head, a tubular bit detachably coupled to the lower end of said longitudinally split barrel, said bit tapering to an annular cutting edge at its lower end and having an internal working throat at its lower end, said head being approximately one-fourth the length of the split barrel and having an axially extending threaded recessed upper end adapted to threadedly receive a coupling member therein, a wall thickness approximately onequarter the diameter of the head, and a threaded recessed axially extending lower end adapted to receive said longitudinally extending split barrel and extending approximately for one-third the length of the head, said lower end having an annular wall thickness approximately onequarter the diameter of said head and a transversely extending end face on the lower end thereof, said split barrel having a reduced upper end threaded externally for reception in said lower threaded end of the head, a transversely extending shoulder for abutting engagement with the lower end face of said head, the wall thickness of said upper end of the split barrel adjacent the upper threaded reduced end being approximately one-third the diameter of said split barrel and extending from said shoulder along said split barrel a distance approximately equal to the length of said reduced upper threaded end.

3. A tubular driven soil sampler according to claim 2 wherein said head has a tapered seat intermediate said threaded ends and about said axially extending aperture, a ball check seated on said seal and movable to permit an open passage from the lower end to the upper end of said head, means for holding the ball in said head and vent means extending through the wall of the head just below the upper threaded recessed end.

4. A tubular driven soil sampler according to claim 3 wherein said split barrel is formed of two halves, one of said halves having a longitudinally extending rectangular shape in cross-section recess extending along opposite edges while the other half has longitudinally extending projections received by said recesses on the first half.

5. A tubular driven soil sampler according to claim 4 wherein the upper end of the split barrel has the axially extending aperture therethrough of uniform circular cross-section throughout the threaded upper and thickened wall end thercadjacent, said split barrel gradually increasing in inner circular cross-section adjacent said thickened walled upper end to a uniform circular crosssection having a reduced wall thickness.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,495,474 Fletcher May 27, 1924 1,867,024 Oliver a- July 12, 1932 2,230,808 Mohr Feb. 4, 1941 2,318,062 Dames May 4, 1943 

